Mig Welding Training Checklist
Safety
o Apparel – all skin should be covered by non-synthetic fabric – polyester and the like will
melt to your skin. Skin shown will get sunburned from electric arc flash.
o Leather gloves should be worn to protect hands – do not handle hot metal with gloves –
use pliers instead
o Helmet- Mig welding needs at least a shade 10 lens welding helmet. Tig welding can be
done with a shade 9 lens. (Higher is darker)
o Welding exhaust fan should be on at all times.
o Don’t weld galvanized metal, or any metal with a plating (chrome, galvanized, cadplated, etc.) These can release poisonous gases – especially galvanized. If you need to
weld these, grind off surface anywhere near the weld.
o Don’t weld anything that has been in contact with flammable liquids (IE don’t weld gas
tanks or oil pans)
Setup
o Plug in machine
o Turn on CO2 tank – shielding gas keeps oxygen from reaching molten steel. If this
happens, you will get a porous brittle weld
o Connect ground cable to table, or to piece being welded
o Set internal settings for material to be welded- follow poster in welding area.
o Trim wire to 1 cm length – use wire cutters; no arcing off the wire onto the table.
o Pull cover off tip, and check gas holes, contacts, etc.
o Surface prep: Grinders and wire brushes can be used to clean the surface to be welded.
This ensures a strong, good looking weld.
o Turn on machine – ready to weld
Clean-up
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Turn off machine
Turn off CO2 tank
Clean stinger tip of metal splatter
Coil stinger and ground cable
Clean up area of splatter and wire pieces
Put away helmets, lens up to prevent scratching
Turn off exhaust fans
Welding technique
o Angle of welder: welder should be as close to perpendicular to the surface, and angled
20-30 degrees in the direction of travel as shown below.
o Push vs. Pull welding: this has to do with welder travel direction. Push is stronger, with
more penetration; good for thick metals. Pull is a weaker weld, with less penetration;
good for thin metals to prevent burning through.
Push welding
Pull welding
o Stitch welding: Technique used to create strong welds with less distortion than a full
length weld. Welder is placed in position, trigger pulled, and welder is moved in a back
and forth motion for approximately an inch; an inch is skipped then the process repeats.
o Full length weld: Highest strength weld, but most heat distortion and residual stresses.
Welder is placed in position, trigger pulled, and moved in either a crescent moon path, or
back and forth as above.
o Speed: Demonstrate results of too fast, and too slow welding.
Too Fast
Too Slow